1. The Climate Change Squeeze
A warming climate intensifies evaporation and disrupts natural cycles. The Great Lakes are
a prime example. According to NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
(GLERL), annual maximum ice cover has declined by about 5% per decade since the 1970s,
with recent winters hitting record lows. Less ice cover leads to more evaporation in winter
and warmer water temperatures in summer. This stresses cold-water fish like trout and
whitefish and creates a perfect environment for harmful algal blooms, which can shut down
beaches and contaminate water supplies.
2. Human Water Consumption
Iconic lakes bear witness to the consequences of unsustainable water diversion. Lake
Chad in Africa has shrunk by approximately 90% since the 1960s, as confirmed by the
European Space Agency, primarily due to reduced rainfall and increased irrigation
withdrawals. Similarly, the Aral Sea famously collapsed after Soviet-era irrigation
projects diverted its feeder rivers, leaving behind a salty, dusty basin and a stark lesson
in environmental management.
3. The Pollution Onslaught
Pollution compounds the stress from water loss. Nutrient runoff from farms and cities,
specifically nitrogen and phosphorus, feeds harmful algal blooms. The National Centers
for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) report that these blooms cause recurring economic
losses, ranging from tens to hundreds of millions of dollars annually in the U.S. alone.
When broader damages from eutrophication (the over-enrichment of water bodies) are
counted, the cost balloons to around $2.2 billion per year.
Furthermore, microplastic pollution is now ubiquitous. Research published in Environmental
Science & Technology and other journals via MDPI has found billions of these particles even
in the seemingly pristine waters of Lake Superior, threatening aquatic life and entering the food
web.
